Fellows are given the opportunity to pursue either a basic science or clinical science research track during their fellowship. A total of 23 months (blocks) are devoted to research training (3 blocks in the first year, 10 each in the 2nd and 3rd years). Research is conducted under the supervision of Pediatric Nephrology faculty as well as other faculty members from the Case School of Medicine. Funding for the research training portion of the program is provided by an NIH Training Grant administered within the Case School of Medicine. Because of the requirements of this grant, fellows in the training program must be either US citizens or permanent residents.
In the basic science research track, fellows have the opportunity to learn fundamentals of bench research and design and implement their own basic research projects under the guidance of Case School of Medicine renal research faculty who are conducting cutting-edge research in a broad spectrum of renal diseases including glomerular disease/podocyte biology, tubular transport, polycystic kidney disease, transplantation and chronic kidney disease. Laboratories are located within the Horvitz Research Center/ Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Department of Medicine/University Hospitals, Department of Physiology and Biophysics/Case School of Medicine and the Renal Center of Excellence/Metrohealth Medical Center.
In clinical science research track, fellows have the opportunity to design and implement clinical research projects under the supervision of Case School of Medicine faculty members with active clinical research projects in the areas of hypertension, health outcomes/disparities and sleep disorders in chronic kidney disease. Clinical research faculty include those within the Division of Clinical Epidemiology/Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, The Center for Reducing Health Dispartites/Metrohealth Medical Center, and the General Clinical Research Center/Case School of Medicine. Fellows interested in pursuing advanced degrees also have the opportunity to earn Masters in Public Health (MPH) or PhD degrees.